Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan today won the confidence motion unanimously. Chouhan had last evening swore in as the Chief Minister for the fourth time in presence of MP Governor.
After taking charge as the CM, Chouhan held a high-level meeting with with officials to review the COVID-19 situation and take stock of preparedness. He announced curfew in Bhopal and Jabalpur from Tuesday onward. He also appealed to people to strictly follow the lockdown orders in all 36 districts of Madhya Pradesh.
As per reports, not a single Congress MLA was present in the assembly at the time of voting. Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party and independent MLAs voted in favour of the motion.
The Madhya Pradesh government collapsed last week after former CM and senior Congress leader Kamal Nath tendered his resignation. The Congress-led government was pushed to the brink following of former Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia. The resignations of all 22 MLAs in Scindia’s camp had brought down the total strength of the assembly to 206 where the ruling Congress with 92 members and seven allied MLAs. The Congress was at least five short of a simple majority of 104. The opposition BJP with 107 MLAs is three more than the simple majority.
Abdullah’s father Farooq Abdullah was released earlier this month. Omar Abdullah had turned 50 on March 10. He has spent over 232 days in custody. He was initially held under preventive custody, but later PSA charges were slapped on him.
The central government had placed many political leaders in Jammu and Kashmir under preventive detention and later under PSA charges when it decided to abrogate Article 370 in the former state.
The Supreme Court has been hearing a plea filed by Abdullah’s sister Sarah Abdullah, seeking his release. Last week, the SC had given the centre a week’s time to respond on whether they planned to release him.
It is notable here that with 492 cases of coronavirus, the nation is under lockdown at present. In the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, section 144 has been placed and only the movement of essential personnel is allowed.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation at 8 PM on Tuesday, 24th March, 2020.
वैश्विक महामारी कोरोना वायरस के बढ़ते प्रकोप के संबंध में कुछ महत्वपूर्ण बातें देशवासियों के साथ साझा करूंगा। आज, 24 मार्च रात 8 बजे देश को संबोधित करूंगा।
Will address the nation at 8 PM today, 24th March 2020, on vital aspects relating to the menace of COVID-19.
Prime Minister Modi said that he would like to talk to the people of India about the coronavirus pandemic. Earlier, PM Modi had addressed the nation and given 9 call-to-action points for the citizens to protect themselves against the spread of virus. He had also emphasised on social distancing and staying at home to help curb the spread of the virus.
On Monday, the Deputy Commissioner of Khairpur district in Sindh province of Pakistan had suspended 6 government officials working in the Revenue Department after they took a selfie with their colleague who had been infected by the deadly Wuhan coronavirus.
The patient identified as one Irshad Ali Rajper had reportedly travelled to Iran for pilgrimage and then returned to Pakistan after a month’s stay. The 6 government officials, namely, Abdul Rashid Bhaio, Lal Dino Mallah, Imtiaz Ali Goopang, Piar Ali Wassan, Punhal Wassan and Kareem Dino Wassan had gone to the house of their infected colleague where they took the picture.
“By that time, he was not showing any symptoms of the virus, neither had complained about any unwellness. As a trend these days, all the six colleagues and the host took a selfie. A few of them later posted that picture on their social media account. When the man tested positive a few days ago, all those who were in contact with him were being spotted and isolated”, a government official was quoted as saying.
Recently, Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan said that the country could not afford a nationwide lockdown, despite 750 Pakistanis tested positive for the deadly Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19). The inability to implement drastic measures to contain the pandemic has largely to do with Pakistan’s crippling economical condition.
Thousands of Pakistanis who returned home from Iran were stuck in filthy, unhygienic quarantine camps with no medical care or sanitation facilities. The story came to light after a series of videos posted by Pakistani citizens who were quarantined at Taftan camp on the border with Iran had gone viral. The pilgrims at a camp could be seen not following guidelines of social distancing at a crowded camp.
On Sunday, the authorities in Palestine informed that two of its citizens with recent travel to Pakistan had tested positive for the deadly Wuhan Coronavirus. As such, the two infected patients became the first case of COVID-19 in the Gaza strip, one of the most densely populated areas with poverty levels as high as 50%.
Disregarding the total lockdown orders, a crowd gathered at the Shaheen Bagh protest site after the police removed the tent and cleared up the road.
Delhi: Locals gather near the anti-CAA protest site in Shaheen Bagh which was cleared by police today morning, amid complete lockdown in the national capital to prevent the spread of #Coronaviruspic.twitter.com/lkOkcbPcIN
Earlier today morning, the Delhi Police got bulldozers and cleared off the protest site which had been blocking the Delhi-Noida road since December last year. The anti-CAA protestors were protesting against fast-tracking Indian citizenship to persecuted religious minorities from three neighbouring Islamic countries.
The national capital is on a total lockdown in wake up coronavirus outbreak. Delhi Police also cleared up the Hauz Rani protest site and Jamia Millia Islamia protest site in Delhi.
Delhi: The protest site in Hauz Rani has been cleared by police, amid complete lockdown in the national capital. Prohibitory order under Section 144 Cr PC is in place in Delhi, in the light of #COVID19. pic.twitter.com/qm2tl4jwSQ
Section 144 of the CrPC is in place in Delhi. Delhi Metro is also closed till 31st March as the national capital is under complete lockdown. Delhi Police has appealed to people to stay at home.
The total number of Wuhan Coronavirus cases in the country have risen precipitously. Over 400 active cases are reported from across the country, with Maharashtra leading, closely followed by Kerala. As many as 34 cases have been discharged or cured nationally and 9 deaths have been reported so far. In the wake of the spread of the virus, most states imposed lockdowns and heavy restrictions on intra and interstate travel. India has suspended all domestic flights, except solely cargo-carrying flights, effective March 25. “The operations of domestic schedule commercial airlines shall cease operations effective from the midnight that is 23.59 hours IST on 24/3/2020,” said a communication from the Ministry of Civil Aviation.
Most states have now notified the Regulations for prevention and containment of Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19). While the media has reported that according to these stringent rules, not following the lockdown can land one in jail for 6 months, what they have not reported is that anybody spreading rumours about the Wuhan Coronavirus spread can also land in jail for 6 months.
In the notification issued by most states now, a rule clearly stands out.
Rule by the State of Odisha for arresting spread of Coronavirus
The above excerpt is taken by the rules notified by the State of Odisha. It reads that no person/institution/organisation will use any print or electronic or social media for dissemination of any information regarding Covid-19 without ascertaining the facts. The rule essentially says that if anyone including an organisation is found indulging in such activity, it will be treated as a punishable offence under these regulations.
The Rules and Regulations notified further says that any
Odisha rules about restricting spread of Coronavirus
The rules then say that anyone found violating the provisions of these regulations shall be deemed to have committed an offence punishable under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code.
Section 188 of IPC
If any person who violates the regulations cases obstruction, risk or injury, they can be imprisoned upto 1 year, however, if their disobedience caaases danger to human life they can be imprisoned for upto 6 months.
Considering the risk of the spread of Coronavirus, it is thus reasonable to assume that any disobedience of the regulations imposed by the state may invite imprisonment of upto 6 months along with fine, which includes spreading fake news through traditional media, electronic media or even social media.
ED officials have stated that the sale of the MF Hussain painting to Yes Bank founder Rana Kapoor by Congress princess Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is being treated as ‘proceeds of crime’, as per a report in The Indian Express. The painting was sold by Priyanka to Rana Kapoor for a sum of Rs 2 crores.
Indian Express has also cited ED officials as saying that Priyanka could be summoned for questioning over the sale of the MF Hussain painting of her father the former PM Rajiv Gandhi to the Yes Bank founder after the current summons of major debtors and industrialists are over.
“The Rs 2 crore paid by Rana Kapoor to Priyanka Gandhi was received by him from the bank shortly before he gave it to her and thus becomes part of our investigation into the case. Both the buyer and the seller could attract action under Section 3 of the PMLA Act,” a senior official has been quoted in the IE report.
Section 3 of the PMLA says “whosoever directly or indirectly was connected with the proceeds of crime has projected it as untainted property shall be guilty of the offence of money laundering.”
The Income Tax department was already probing the Rs 2 crores withdrawn by Rana Kapoor and paid to Priyanka by cheque in 2010. When ED raided Kapoor in March and found the painting, it came to the light that the money was paid for the painting.
When ED had questioned Kapoor how he acquired the painting, he had presented the exchanged messages between him and Congress leader Milind Deora, also the letter of acknowledgement and a copy of the Rs 2 crore cheque signed by Kapoor.
However, KTS Tulsi, Congress leader and Gandhi family lawyer has stated that the ED cannot club the painting as ‘proceeds of crime’. Tulsi added that the sale of the painting was purely a private commercial transaction and the Congress party has already stated that it was shown in the Income Tax declaration by Priyanka Gandhi.
Kapoor was arrested earlier this month. Yes Bank is in the midst of a crisis as it accumulated a torrent of bad loans in 2018 by lending to corporate defaulters such as DHFL, Jet Airways and Cafe Coffee day and others. The bank was put on a moratorium by RBI for a period of 30 days, capping its withdrawals at Rs 50,000. The Reserve Bank of India has also announced ‘Yes Bank Ltd. Reconstruction Scheme, 2020’, changing the authorised capital to Rs 5000 crores and 2400 crore equity shares standing at Rs 10 each. In addition, SBI which leads the consortium of banks investing in the ‘reconstructed bank’ will not reduce its holding below 26% before the completion of three years.
A day after the Janta Curfew concluded and the subsequent announcement made by Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal imposing lockdown in the city, no new cases were reported from the National Capital on Monday, March 23, 2020. Delhi had reported about 30 positive cases until thus far with one patient succumbing to the novel virus. According to the Ministry’s official website, the total number of cases that have till date tested positive are 492 including foreign nationals and 9 deaths.
As of today, 6 of the 30 patients admitted in hospitals across Delhi were shifted outside the state and one has migrated outside the country. Of the 6 who were transferred outside the state, 1 patient each was shifted to Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab and Jammu while 2 of the remaining were moved to Kolkata. Besides, 1067 patients are under government quarantine facilities in Delhi.
While only Delhi saw no new cases, India saw the highest jump in the number of new cases on 23 March. 99 new cases were reported from the country, with Maharashtra at the top with 23 new cases. The state now has 97 cases, with Kerala at a close second at 95 cases.
In the wake of coronavirus pandemic, all the international flights from March 23 till March 29 were suspended. In addition, the Delhi government has announced a slew of measures to counter the spread of the contagion. The government has declared complete lockdown of state until the midnight of March 31. No public transport services including private buses, rickshaws, autos will be allowed to ply the roads in National Capital. However, 25 per cent of the total fleet of DTC buses were allowed to ply on roads for those who are involved to dispense the essential services.
In the meanwhile, a 23-year-old woman from Manipur, Imphal, has tested positive for coronavirus, becoming the first case in North East India. She has a travel history of the UK.
The total number of COVID-19 cases in the country have risen precipitously. Over 400 active cases are reported from across the country, with Maharashtra leading, closely followed by Kerala. As many as 34 cases have been discharged or cured nationally and 9 deaths have been reported so far.
Congress leader Harjit Bhatti, who is a doctor by qualification, on Monday took to Twitter to claim that healthcare workers in Assam Medical College are “forced” to cover themselves in plastic bags. He claimed that these plastic bags are the ones which are used to carry biomedical waste. He alleged that there is shortage of personal protection equipments (PPEs) in Assam Medical College.
Now deleted tweet of Dr Harjit Bhatti, Congress leader
His allegations were further spread by the usual suspects.
Vinod Kapri’s now deleted tweet
Filmmaker-journalist Vinod Kapri, who regularly indulges in spreading fake news, too joined in. Not to leave a chance to pounce on PM Modi even amidst a crisis, other ‘journalists’ took Bhatti’s tweet on face value, like they always do.
Similar news were shared by other ‘influencers’ with huge following on Twitter.
Joydas tweet liked by Mohammad Zubair
The tweet was liked by AltNews co-founder Mohammad Zubair (we are yet to see a fact-check on the same on AltNews).
‘Journalist’ associated with leftist propaganda website The Wire, too, shared Joydas’ unverified claims, which he later deleted without explanation.
Questioning the government’s priorities is now an anti national act according to some people. But the most patriotic thing a citizen can do is to hold its government accountable. Ministers don’t need glitzy new offices. Doctors need protective gear. https://t.co/s1t3WKWEn6
Similar claims were made by Congress social media convener.
This is how Healthcare workers in Assam Medical College are forced to cover themselves, yes, with plastic bags which are used to carry thrash because of lack of protection coveralls.
On 10 January 2019, the WHO issued an order to the governments across the world. 1/3 pic.twitter.com/WupAhUBgNJ
However, all their lies were called out by Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
This tweet is highly motivated and some one must be doing purposefully. We have supplied good number of PPE kits in last 3 days. Police has been asked to register an FIR and investigate . I have personally in touch with hospital authorities https://t.co/c0xVRN5Y2G
Calling the tweet of Congress leader Harjit Bhatti as ‘highly motivated’, Sarma clarified that the government has supplied good number of PPE kits in past three days. Sarma also informed that the police has been asked to register an FIR against Bhatti and investigate.
Following Sarma’s clarification, Bhatti, Kapri and Joydas quietly deleted their tweets while Patel continues to put it on his timeline, perhaps because like their leader Shashi Tharoor, retweets are more important than facts during the time of crisis.
Meanwhile, Bhatti has tweeted another tweet with same image, claiming that he got calls from Assam Medical College and that they do have PPEs, but the plastic suit was ‘tested’ to be used should a shortage occur.
I received calls from Assam Medical College that they have PPEs this was tested as what can be used if shortage occurs in case of huge load of patients. pic.twitter.com/scqEQFgNqm
Dr Harjit Singh Bhatti is the National Convenor of the All India Medical Cell of the Congress party. In February last year, he was appointed to the post in the Congress party. Not just the Congress party, he is also close with the Bhim Army. He claims to the doctor of Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad and has been very vocal in demanding medical care for Azad who currently out on bail, claiming that he is extremely unwell. He is not just a healthcare provider for Azad, but also a supporter, as he has been seen posting tweets with the hashtag #AzaadiForAzad.
From as far back as 2017, the media has been publishing comments by Dr Bhatti without any indication of his political affiliation. In fact, this phenomenon has continued well into 2020, almost a year after he became a post-holder in the Congress party. Media houses continue to quote him without disclosing his political affiliations and the official post he holds within Congress.
Bhatti’s quotes have been extensively used by media by identifying him as AIIMS doctor. Following violence perpetrated by leftist students on JNU campus early in January, Bhatti had claimed he was treating the students at AIIMS. In fact, Newslaundry introduced Bhatti as the former president of the Resident Doctors’ Association at AIIMS, and said that he was at AIIMS when injured students from JNU were brought there. However, the fact is that Bhatti is not a doctor associated with AIIMS. The Alumni page of AIIMS says that he is working at Manipal Hospital in Delhi. But the website of the hospital lists no doctor by that name. Moreover, when defence analyst Abhijit Iyer-Mitra called the hospital, he was informed that they have no doctor by that name.
The Shaheen Bagh drama has finally come to an end after the Delhi Police cleared the area. After Section 144 was imposed in Delhi in the face of Wuhan Coronavirus outbreak, in the early hours of 24th March, Tuesday, the Delhi Police had first urged the protestors to clear the area and when they had refused to comply, protesters were detained and the area was cleared.
DCP of South East Delhi said, “People at the protest site in Shaheen Bagh were requested today to clear the site as lockdown has been imposed. But after they refused, action was taken against violators as the assembly was unlawful. Protest site has been cleared. Some protestors have been detained”.
DCP South East:People at the protest site in Shaheen Bagh were requested today to clear the site as lockdown has been imposed. But after they refused, action was taken against violators as the assembly was unlawful. Protest site has been cleared.Some protestors have been detained https://t.co/lVgXzL9WD6pic.twitter.com/0uBdwGHKMw
A video was then reported by ANI where the Delhi Police was seen clearing the area of the barricaded tent and stage that had been illegally constructed by the Shaheen Bagh protestors. In the video, it can be seen that the Delhi police had to use a bulldozer to clear the area.
DCP Meena also said that there were male members also present at the Shaheen Bagh protest site and they had turned down Delhi police’s request to clear the area.
Police presence after Shaheen Bagh was cleared
Interestingly, it was only last night that the protestors had vehemently said that no matter what, they would not clear the protest site. In fact, they had claimed that if Prime Minister Modi was worried about the spread of Coronavirus, he should withdraw CAA and NRC to ensure their safety.
In a Facebook page named ‘Shaheen Bagh Protest’, Muslim women who were protesting at Shaheen Bagh had appealed to the people of Delhi to come to Shaheen Bagh in “large numbers” to “protect Shaheen Bagh” as they had said that the Delhi Police was about to clear the area. However, it appears like nobody really turned up to “protect” the protest as they were concerned about their own lives with the spread of the Wuhan Coronavirus.
Further, a Muslim man was heard saying last night that the Delhi Police can rain laathis on them, but they will not vacate the protest site. He said that the protestors will only move if the Supreme Court asks them to. In fact, the man in the video also said that more than the Wuhan Coronavirus, the protestors were scared of NRC and CAA. Additionally, the man in the video towards the end of his statement threatened with violence saying that if anyone comes to Shaheen Bagh ‘against the protest’, they will not be afraid to use their “hands and legs”.
Interestingly, their bravado seems to have been useless since after the imposition of Section 144 and the lockdown announced by the Central and State government, their congregation was deemed illegal and the Delhi Police moved in to clear the protest site.
Even the area near Jamia bears a deserted look.
Flyover seen from Jamia Gate number 7
There were some strange comments that had emanated from Shaheen Bagh after the clamour for the protest site to be vacated grew in the face of Wuhan Coronavirus spreading. One protestor had claimed that the Quran Sharif mentions Coronavirus and thus, nothing will happen to the protestors congregated there. Another protestor had claimed that the Wuhan Coronavirus itself is a ploy by Amit Shah to get them to vacate Shaheen Bagh.
Following the passage of Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which speeds up Indian citizenship for persecuted religious minorities of the three neighbouring Islamic countries, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, violent protests had erupted in the national capital and other parts of the country. Following a call of Sharjeel Imam, the radical Islamist and JNU student who is currently arrested on charges of sedition, few women belonging to Muslim community sat on a protest at Shaheen Bagh. They blocked a bus stop and a main road causing severe problems to the public of Delhi. For about three months now, these so-called ‘protesters’ in Shaheen Bagh have blocked one of the busiest thoroughfares in the national capital in protest against the enactment of the Citizenship Amendment Act.
It is pertinent to note that a four-month-old infant, Mohammed Jahan, had lost his life after suffering from severe cold and congestion during anti-CAA protests in Shaheen Bagh. However, Nazia, the mother of the four-month-old infant Mohammad Jahan, was unapologetic about her son’s death but instead has chosen to ignore his death and rejoin the ‘protests’ at the Shaheen Bagh.
A shocking video had also gone viral across social media platforms in which kids were seen holding posters of the four-month-old infant Mohammed Jahan who died at Shaheen Bagh. One of the protestors in the background had claimed that the death of the four-month-old kid was nothing but a ‘Qurbani’ or sacrifice for the anti-CAA movement
